Anyone plan on skiing/boarding this weekend in the Northeast? My only window for skiing would be making a day trip from Central Connecticut on Friday. I'm not certain if the conditions, open terrain, and cost would justify the 3-4 hour drive. New York and New England haven't been hit as hard by the warm weather as has the Mid-Atlantic, but there is rain forecast as far north as Vermont on Wednesday/Thursday. Looks like temps drop throughout the entire east coast starting Thanksgiving PM. Conditions should be good by Sunday, but Friday may be iffy.

Anyone with any additional weather/conditions information? Catskills, is Hunter really going to be charging full holiday rates this weekend?

I am desperate to get some snow under me, but this is crazy.
I looked at their site and it says specificly Holiday periods include Nov. 25-30, 2004? Adult Day Holiday Pass = $52 Current conditions are 4 trails and 1 lift open.

Rain this Wednesday and then cooling down Thanksgiving Thursday night. You can be sure they will be making lots of snow Thrusday night. Should be awesome skiing Friday. Saturday and Sunday are too far out to predict yet.

Friday Nov 26 might not be too crowded at Hunter and the ticket sales go to a good cause (National Ski Patrol on Fiday). Call 800-486-8376.

Belleayre prices are $28 midweek including Friday Nov 26 and $33 weekends until Dec 12. Also see other Belleayre Special Deals like ski free on your Birthday and ski for a week in January for $10 a ticket. For Thanksgiving weekend Belleayre trails will not be crowded. For most up to date Belleyre conditions call 800 942 6904 and then dial 1

For up to date Windham Mountain conditions and prices call 800-754-9463.

My birthday is April 22. I guarentee I'll be skiing for free in New York state.

I'm thinking of skiing the catskills sat & sun.So Mr Catskills I ask you..where should i ski those days? I can get a good deal at a motel in windham.There is mention of snow(Light & showery)thruout the period after late thur nite.Do any of the ski areas tend to pick up more snow than the other?Mon nite was cold enough to make snow,& saw that Windham did just that.I could not find any evidence that the "snow making capital" Hunter took advantage of this window.I have never been to this area & am confused as to where i should ski.Current thinking has me skiing 1230pm sat to 4 or they have a 2 to 10pm session at Windham & then skiing Hunter all day sun.Should i cancel one or the other for Bellyeare? Good long blues & single blacks are what we ski..Scenic views & snow covered spruce trees are a must. I can make my own party in my room if there is not a party scene out & about.That is not that important

Andy this weather patern it is difficult to predict. Somethimes Belleayre will get Snow when Hunter/Windham does not and sometimes its the other way around. Belleayre and Plattekill will get Lake Ontario lake effect snow squalls where the others don't.

I like your plan of skiing Hunter Sunday. Satruday the crowd at Hunter "may" be a ZOO on that single opened trail. Belleayre the trail that is opened is shorter than Windham. But Belleayre will be in better condition snow making wise and will have significantly less people on the trails. Belleayre has been more agressive in the snow making department in recent years. Then again Windham just spent some more money on snowmaking and they want to prove a point. All 3 mountains have a little something different to offer. Sounds like Windham may offer night skiing which is something you might like.

If you like long wide groomers with few skiers to get in your way you should come back later in the season and try Dot Nebel trail at Belleayre.

Note that Windham is 7 miles away from Hunter. Belleayre is about 20 minutes awas from both Hunter and Windham. Belleayre is a about 15 minutes closer to the DC area than Windham and Hunter.

Windham has the best upscale hotels to stay in.

Belleayre Motels click here . Econmical try Starlite Motel. Ulitmate high end try the Lodge at Emerson PLace (Catskill Corners). For a nice B&B next to Belleayre Ski area try the Alpine Osteria . Also the Colonial in Pine Hill has a great all you can eat Buffet with crab legs.

Your feedback is much appreciated Catskills.That motel list you provided was a lot larger than the one i was working with.+ we have a pet & the original motel that we were looking at has not gotten back with a yes or no on our dog.I was surprised at the lodging options near Bellearye.Where we end up staying will determine the choice between Bellearye & Windham..Thanks again!

Andy, Catskills,

If you were able to get some turns in this past weekend in the Catskills, tell us what it was like. I ended up spending extra time visiting with family over the holiday and wasn't able to make a day trip on Friday. Plus, after driving 6 hours on Thursday, with 6+ hours of driving on Saturday, I wasn't motivated for 5+ hours of driving on Friday for one open trail at Belleayre and the equivalent of two at Hunter. I'll save that missing day for Xmas.

Still turnless this season.

I skied Hunter Friday. With cold temps Thursday night Hunter did an excellent job making snow Thursday night and Friday to make up for the rain during the day on Thursday. I had a great day skiing for my second day out. It was a bit crowded but everyone was skiing in control. Most people were taking it easy. The High Speed Quad (HSQ) to the top was the only lift opened and Hellgate a black diamond expert trail off the top was the only way down.

Saturday I was at Belleayre which was even better. Belleayre had trail Onteora off the top with some awesome moguls. For intermediate skiers they could get off the lift at mid-station to ski intermediate blue trail lower Oneteora. The snow quality was better at Belleayre then it was Friday at Hunter. Belleayre was making a tad dryer snow on top layer than Hunter.

I had a great time on both Hunter and Belleayre. Hunter definitely gave me a better work out with the higher vertical and the HSQ. You can get more vertical skiing in at Hunter but Belleayre's trails are less crowded. Each has there own advantages.

Sunday here in the Catskills we had some serious rain storms. I am sure it won't take long for the Catskill ski areas to recover.

We skied Windham Mountain on Friday and Hunter on Saturday. It snowed for part of the day on Friday too. They did a very good job keeping snow on the mountain. It was a long drive up and back but it was sure worth the trip!